Chapter Twenty-Five

 

 

Benton

I watched as everyone gathered in the main conference room, chatting and talking about things other than the mission at hand. It was going to be interesting, and Shade wanted to make sure we had back up. Camulus sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the wall and quietly eyeing the group. He was there for transportation and nothing more. He’d take us to Arthas’s sarcophagus chamber, then to see Ursad.

Neither trip was going to be much fun. Nothing was lately. I sat sharpening my Empyrean blade while eyeing Rowan and Ciaran, quietly speaking to each other like old lovers. It made me sick. They were both thorns in my side that I wanted to pull out and toss out the window.

Isolde had been silent and aloof ever since Rowan had tried to banish her. Most people freaked out when they noticed their powers were nothing against an Ancient. I didn’t blame her one bit for being upset. I would be too.

I put my blade away and turned to her. “Hey.”

She looked at me and smiled, looking more like her old self again. “Hey.”

“About what happened earlier—”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Thank you for making her change her mind.”

“You know I’d do anything to protect you.”

She rubbed furiously on her own sword, oiling it up and making it gleam more brightly than the light in the room. “I don’t need your protection.”

Here we go again. I groaned internally.

“I know. You don’t need anyone’s help. I know that. Still, I’m here for you. No matter what. I’ll make sure all these Ancients stay in line and behave around the people I love.”

She stopped oiling her sword and whipped her head up to look me dead in the eyes.

“You love me?”

“Isolde… of course I do. I’ve loved you since I met you in high school. You got me through one of the roughest patches in my life, and I never thanked you for that. I’ve loved you for years, even through everything that’s kept us apart. Don’t you see that?”

She stared at me, eyes fixed, with a sheen of water welling up in them. A few seconds passed as she processed my words, and I wasn’t sure what she was going to say or if she’d tell me to go to hell. The thing about Isolde I loved best was that she was unpredictable, but if she loved me, this one moment was going to tell me everything I needed to know.

“I love you too, Benton. I—I just… it’s been… difficult.”

“I know. Trust me, nothing will ever change how I feel about you.”

She blinked, and a tear slid down her cheek. “Thank you for waiting. I know it’s been hard for both of us. Time and distance have been cruel, but yes, I know you won’t let anything happen to me, and I would do the same for you. Always.”

Her words ripped a cord inside me that flooded my head with a frenzied happiness. Wow. Just a moment before, I’d thought I might lose her, but now I knew she was there to stay. I got onto my knees, reached out, and pulled her to my chest.

“Your words are magic to my ears,” I said, kissing the top of her head as her arms laced around my body and squeezed tightly.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you wait. I truly didn’t mean to. I knew when I saw you again, when we all fought the Unseelie snatchers, that I would never love another. You were always the only one I loved and needed. I couldn’t be happier to finally be with you.”

She stretched up and kissed my lips, softly at first, brushing her lips against mine and eyeing me to see if I’d respond. Did I ever. I returned her kiss, pressing my lips on hers once more, hungry for more than just kisses.

“Save it for the bedroom, lovebirds,” Soap’s voice boomed above us. “We’re heading out.”

I pulled away, gasping for air while throwing him a killer glare. “Dude, a moment please,” I groaned.

He laughed, shaking his head as he walked away toward Shade, who was tightening her sword belt. She winked my way but shifted her eyes to Soap as he approached her. The two spoke softly, but I could see that they had other things on their minds than Isolde and me. Good thing too. I turned back to give my girl another swift peck on the lips before jumping to my feet and holding my hand out to her.

“Shall we, m’lady?”

Isolde laughed. “You’re such a gentleman, Benton. What happened to your crass ways?”

I shrugged. “You’ve done tamed the wild out of me. No longer am I such a heathen.”

She grabbed my wrist and flew to her feet with my gentle tug. She straightened her traveling outfit of dark brown leather and linen. Most of us wore similar clothes, as we were going for a long walk; we couldn’t teleport to the exact spot where the sarcophagus was located. Shade had made sure no one could come within five miles of it or use teleportation magic.

Nothing like a lovely stroll through some of the most dangerous forest in Faerie. At least we were going there with the strongest magic available to us. Still, I hated the scenic route. Trekking through Faerie had never given me anything but grief.